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Rubio To Newsmax: Obama Using Gay Marriage To Distract From Dismal Record

By    |   Tuesday, 15 May 2012 12:30 PM EDT

Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday that President Barack Obama is using gay marriage to distract from his own dismal record on the economy.

The Florida Republican, author of a new autobiography, "An American Son," told Newsmax TV that he doesn’t think the marriage issue, which he called a personal one, will help Obama in the election.

“I believe marriage is a unique institution, it’s the union between one man and one woman, and that’s my personal belief. I think Americans of good faith can disagree on the issue but that’s certainly how I feel and I think that’s how the majority of people feel in key states where this has been voted on,” Rubio said.

See the Newsmax interview excerpt with Marco Rubio below:





The senator, who is often mentioned as a potential GOP vice-presidential candidate, said he thinks Obama is trying to use the issue to keep the national conversation away from a much more pressing topic: the economy.

“I think it’s part of a broader effort by the president to distract from his record on the economy. I think every week he tries to come up with something else he can talk about that keeps the issue off of how the economy has done under the years of his presidency,” Rubio told Newsmax TV.

Please Note: Get your copy of Marco Rubio’s new book – Free Offer!

“I understand why. The economy has only gotten worse since he’s won,” he added.

Rubio said that while many people do believe gay couples should be able to marry, they consider the economy and lack of job creation much more urgent.

“Even people that agree with the president are going to wonder, why are we talking about this? Why aren’t we talking about the fact that I’ve been out of work for two years? Why aren’t we talking about the fact that our economy isn’t growing and creating jobs?”

Rubio, who was born in Miami to legal Cuban immigrants, said he has gotten “generally very positive” response to his plan to offer a path to U.S. citizenship for some children of illegal immigrants. He has proposed a bill that would allow children who had been brought to the United States when they were very young to stay in the country to attend college or serve in the military.

“This is not an immigration issue as much as it really is a humanitarian issue,” he said. “We’re not changing the immigration laws of the United States. We’re applying existing law of the United States to a very unique situation.”

Rubio said he believes most Americans agree “these kids are not to blame” for their situation, and he said they shouldn’t be left in limbo.

“These kids really don’t have a claim on our laws. They have a claim on our consciences,” he said.

Please Note: Get your copy of Marco Rubio’s new book – Free Offer!


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2012-30-15
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 12:30 PM
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